they all fall down
by lazetta croft
Summary: nothing has changed. howard is the same. school is the same. tony is the same. but, a new student may change that all. {no oc. avengers in school, Bruce and tony friendship and tony whump} CHAPTER 3 UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

tony walked down the street. It was cloudy. Just like his mind. His body ached, toll of yesterday. All he wants is to fall on the street and sleep. .sleep.

 _'useless boy.*thwack!*'_

beacuse sleep means rest. So much rest. Because he is so much tired.

no one wants him in school. Tiberius makes life difficult for him. Aldrich makes life difficult. Steve makes a guilt ball of him. Clint throws erasers on him. Virginia and James Rhodes, they stare. Tony still doesn't understand the emotion in their eyes. By-the-bye, Thor eyes him like he is a pile of mud. Natasha is cold. Other students, they ignore. It doesn't hurt more or less.

because he is used to this. It feels home. The hostile enviroment reminds him of Howard's abuse, neglection, verbal battle. His mother's ignorance. She didn't even look at him when he was having chicken pox. Starks are too strong for that.

tony entered his class.

a hush echoed throughout. Everyone stared. Tony slumped at the last seat. And he is sleepy, but he wont sleep. He needs to finish Jarvis first.

his butler, the real Jarvis , died two weeks back. Tony was one of the few present in the funeral .Apparently, he gave more life to more people than tony.

but there is only so much a man can do.

tony grieved. For days , nights ...in the school washroom...but his mask never faltered. No one would save him from Howard now, the rest of the house staff wasn't so brave as him.

tony adjusted himself to a comfortable degree, and began working on the circuits. The least he could do was to do the work he could in school. Bulkier works will come later.

tony knew that the class was watching. Who cared? Tony was an idiot with no IQ and friends. Duffer.

Steve was sitting at the bench at her side. He gaped at him with disgust. Well, atleast tony didn't care. He never did. The world hated him and he hated the world.

mrs. Vanessa entered the room.

Mrs Vanessa was a really sweet lady, which adored tony with a passion. Negative point for other students. She was strict but sweet. She always smelt like strawberry and she always wore high heels and tight dresses. She taught English. She wished the students and wished everyone morning. She sat with a serene poisture. Tony shoved his tools and work under his desk.

" students, meet Bruce banner." Mrs Vanessa pulls a small, shy boy forward. He has a mop of unruly curls on his head. A dimple revealed itself when he smiled curtly.

"i ummmmm... I am Bruce banner ... I like to build things..." poor Bruce didn't even realize that he was making his speech awkward before he finished.

"where do i..." Bruce mumbled. " oh, you can sit with tony." Mrs Vanessa cheered. One of her sociality tricks. Comeon. Bruce quietly walked towards tony's bench as Mrs Vanessa pointed.

Bruce sat besides tony. The students glared. Some teased. Some laughed. Tony opened his textbook.

"ummmm...hey ...tony?" Bruce started.

"don't." tony commanded with finality in his voice." wanna stay happy and comfortable? Do not talk to me. They will make your life hell. Change your seat after this period. "

Bruce stared. Impression formed. Tony stark has issues. And Bruce will never give up.


	2. Chapter 2

**when i get a review, i continue the story.**

Bruce couldn't disagree that he had his own demons. His father was one hell of a father. His mother's life was short. And he never seemed to stay at one country. Because the bullies got harder. Bruce emerged with a new oath , not to tolerate them this time.

this time, he would never run away.

this school was nice. People were disciplined, courteous, well most of them. The jocks were a little boasty. And toasty. Hidden under third degree tans.

his benchmate was...suspicious, to say. He didn't talk to anyone, would not raise his hand, but mumbled the answer everytime someone asked a question. Bruce nearly laughed when an eraser tried to smack his chest and he caught it in mid air. Hmmm. Practice.

tony wouldn't even meet his eye.

Bruce knew this was the afteraffect of bullying.

and boy, did he know, he was damn right.

so, he decided to meet the brown eyed person in the caféteria.

he wasn't even there.

the café smelt good, barring malice, but Bruce ran back to the classroom to find tony.

" yeah, i know. Put it in the v637373 folder, will ya?" a voice. And oh my...his god, it was tony. The class was empty except him. Tony himself looked pale like the walls, he kept talking, one hand drumming the desk.

" sir, may i suggest eating?" another voice. Something inside Bruce ticked. The class was empty! Who else was speaking? Bruce stepped forward, steps wavering ...

"who is that?" Bruce asked, walking towards tony, eyes burning with curiousity. Tony was startled , he quickly shoved whatever was on his desk into the underdesk drawer.

"ummmm..." tony scratched the back of his head.

Bruce stepped forward to peek, as tony flinched by the sudden movement, and he sprawled on the desk. He took some deep breathes. Bruce realized that he scared him. Tony , with one hand clutching his chest, starightened up, bangs falling upon his eyes, " it is an A.I"

silence for a second

" you can make one?"

tony nodded. He wiped sweat from his face.

" well ..." tony gazed over bruce's shoulder, Bruce not missing the move. Two shadows adorned the murky corridor. One was identified as Clint by Bruce.

" i think you should go now."

yep, definately bullying.


	3. Chapter 3

filler alert! Maths exam day after tomorrowm

where you going stark?" hammer asked mockingly, getting dangerously close to tony.  
Tony took a deep breath as he backed away, bumping in a locker. He knew that he would actually never make it to P.E . He dusted his T-shirt and stepped forward , only to be pushed back again by Aldrich killian.  
" he asked you a question, squirt."  
Tony grunted, ribs hurting. He wedged his elbow between his body and the locker, trying to ignore the glares pointed at him.  
A crowd of students formed around them, laughing and cheering. Touché .  
Hammer waved maniacly at the crowd before turning towards the slender victim in front of him.  
" P.E" tony answered quitely.  
" Mr. Cass , right,lets see how he gets angry when you are late..." Aldrich laughed, bringing forward his fist in tony's stomach.  
Tony gasped, hunching forward in pain. His vision blurred.  
More kicks. Punches. Tony sunk in the ground, ignoring the laughter.  
In the hazy blanket of fogginess, he saw fiery anger from a boy with brown curls.  
Xxx  
Bruce glanced at tony.  
He looked terrible. Covered in cuts. Covered. The nurse said there were some bruises which were from something sharp. Bruce tried to ignore his thoughts.  
Tony looked vunerable, lying on the bed. He breathed softly, more like gasping. Bruce stared at his chest, noticing the shallowness of his breathing.  
Then something ticked.  
The was something circular, and nearly shining object under his shirt.


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce gaped the circle.  
It felt awkward. Maybe it was a neckpiece?  
What the-  
It was glowing.  
Bruce reached out for it.  
As soon as his slender hands touched the circular , shiny thingy under tony's shirt, Tony gasped, eyes open and hands flying towards bruce's hands.  
"do not," he rasped out, " touch that."  
Bruce nodded. Pulling Tony into a sitting position.  
" but what is that?" bruce asked, brown orbs full of curiousity.  
Tony's brain racked for any available excuse for the world. Tony knew that trusting a stranger had consequences. But then, Bruce had saved him earlier.  
" its...its a lucky charm.." Tony blurted out without thinking.  
" i totally fell for your lie." Bruce stated in his monotone, determined to get the truth out.  
" Bruce." tony spoke , one hand jumping to cover the thingy.  
"tony." came the firm reply.  
" why should i tell you what it is?" tony asked innocently.  
Bruce smiled warmly, withdrawing himself from tony. He stood up, along with tony. Tony glared.  
"tony," Bruce began. " i you want to keep your secret, keep your secret. " he adjusted his glasses. " nobody is forcing you. If you don't trust me, don't. " Bruce continued. " but i will always trust you."  
Tony flinched. That was unexpected. Nobody had ever said that. People usually forced him to get his secrets out. Howard would always pack a punch.  
So why..?  
Bruce put his hand on tony's shoulder. " tony, come on."  
Bruce pulled tony towards the classroom. P.E be damned.  
The classroom should have been empty, as Bruce expected, but instead there was a small group of students sitting on the benches.  
Natasha was sitting at a desk, Steve at another bench. Clint was standing over the table, gaping at tony and Bruce.  
Oh.  
They were bunking the class.  
" watcha doing here?" Clint asked , jumping of the bench. His eyes examined them with experience.  
" we ...um...er..." Bruce began, but tony intervened. "what are you doing here?" he stepped in front of Bruce.  
" that is none of your bussiness." Natasha jumped forward, smile dissapearing. Steve looked and sighed.  
" this is our class too. We can do ' none of our bussiness ' here too. You need privacy, buy a class at the auction."  
Natasha glared at tony.  
Steve jumped in between. " come on , Nat. " then he turned towards tony. " i am sorry for these two. Go . "  
Tony nodded, he and Bruce proceeded towards their seats.

 **hey! I came back to this story as well! Gah, i am jumping from one fic to another. And i know, this chap makes no sense. I am so sorry! I just wrote whatever came to my mind. Hehe.**

 **review! Pleaseeeee! They are fuel!**


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce was...confused.

Well, he was happy with his progress. The new school was nice. The teachers were nice. The students..not much, but he realized when he didn't react,no one bothered him.

The thing was, Tony was absent.

He could be sick. Or maybe he just didn't want to come to school. But Tony was his only friend in school, and his absence made it look unknown and petrifying.

He was gone for two days straight.

 _"Bruce."_

 _He flinched. It was Steve._

 _"I can see you are alone. "_

 _"No need to tell me that."_

 _"Nah. If you want, you can join us , though." Said he, motioning towards a table. Natasha, Clint, Thor (or as everybody called him) sat together, laughing._

 _Bruce felt his anger pulse through his body. His hate poured into the single word that escaped his lips._

 _"No."_

Bruce stood before the magnimonious mansion where Tony lived. It felt like he had jumped from a nightmare to a lucid dream. He was used to seeing his battered home in his battered routine. But now, when he stood before the golden gates leading to heaven (they seemed like that to little Bruce ) he felt nothing but sheer wonder.

Such was his wonder, that he didn't even notice the guard bending politely over him.

"And who could you be?"

Bruce flinched visibly.

"I am a friend of ..." Tony Stark? Master Stark?

"Tony?"

"Yeah."

The guard picked up his Transiever, and talked.

"He's out. Go home." Said he in a pained voice.

Bruce went home, having an inkling that neither the guard had said the truth, nor did he wanted to lie.


End file.
